Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Bechet, Sidney

(Encyclopedia)Bechet, Sidney bəshāˈ [key], 1897–1959, American jazz musician, b. New Orleans, La. He began his professional career with his brother Leonard's band in 1911. Later he played with many other bands...

Newark, cities, United States

(Encyclopedia)Newark. 1 City (1990 pop. 37,861), Alameda co., W Calif., on the east side of San Francisco Bay; inc. 1955. There is food processing and the manufacture of plastics, furniture, feeds, semiconductors, ...

Mason, Lowell

(Encyclopedia)Mason, Lowell, 1792–1872, American composer and music educator, b. Medfield, Mass. While working as a bank clerk in Savannah, Ga., he helped compile an anthology that was published as The Boston Han...

erythromycin

(Encyclopedia)erythromycin ĭrĭthˌrōmīˈsĭn [key], any of several related antibiotic drugs produced by bacteria of the genus Streptomyces (see antibiotic). Erythromycin is most effective against gram-positive ...

emetic

(Encyclopedia)emetic əmĕtˈĭk [key], substance that produces vomiting. Direct, or gastric, emetics, which act directly on the stomach, include syrup of ipecac, sulfate of zinc or copper, alum, ammonium carbonate...

pilocarpine

(Encyclopedia)pilocarpine pīlōkärˈpēn [key], naturally occurring alkaloid obtained from plants of the genus Pilocarpus (family Rutaceae). By mimicking the effects of acetylcholine, pilocarpine acts as a stimul...

neurology

(Encyclopedia)neurology no͝orŏlˈəjē, nyo͝o– [key], study of the morphology, physiology, and pathology of the human nervous system. As researchers, neurologists carry on investigative and experimental work i...

Sully-Prudhomme, René François Armand

(Encyclopedia)Sully-Prudhomme, René François Armand rənāˈ fräNswäˈ ärmäNˈ sülēˈ-prüdômˈ [key], 1839–1907, French poet associated with the Parnassians. His early poetry, including Stances et poèm...

Levine, Jack

(Encyclopedia)Levine, Jack ləvīnˈ [key], 1915–2010, American painter, b. Boston. Levine began his career with the Federal Arts Project. His savagely realistic paintings, executed with diffused, prismatic textu...

eczema

(Encyclopedia)eczema ĕkˈsəmə [key], acute or chronic skin disease characterized by redness, itching, serum-filled blisters, crusting, and scaling. Predisposing factors are familial history of allergic disorders...

Browse by Subject